Updated
Updated · Variety · Aug 10
Bel Powley Rejects J.K. Rowling's Gender Views Ahead of HBO's 2-Season Harry Potter Series
Updated
Updated · Variety · Aug 10

Bel Powley Rejects J.K. Rowling's Gender Views Ahead of HBO's 2-Season Harry Potter Series

3 articles · Updated · Variety · Aug 10

Summary

  • Bel Powley, cast as Petunia Dursley, said she “strongly disagrees” with J.K. Rowling’s views on gender and said trans people deserve “safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance.”
  • The comments, published Monday in The Telegraph, come as HBO prepares to launch the first season of its Harry Potter adaptation this Christmas, with Rowling attached as an executive producer.
  • Cast members have faced scrutiny over joining the series because of Rowling’s views; John Lithgow, who plays Dumbledore, said in April he considered leaving but decided the reasons to do the show were stronger.
  • HBO has already renewed the series for a second season, which will adapt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Insights

Will the Harry Potter cast's growing rebellion against J.K. Rowling derail HBO's massive holiday premiere?
Is the new cast's public defiance a genuine moral stand, or a calculated PR move to save the series?